Gene Hackman’s dog guarded body of wife Betsy, police bodycam video shows

Police that found the bodies of iconic actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy captured another heartbreaking moment on their body-worn cameras. See the video. Warning: Graphic

Newly released bodycam footage shows the moment Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead — with their loyal dog seen guarding Betsy’s body.

Hackman and Betsy were found dead in their homes on February 26, with the cause of death revealed the following month.

The footage shows Santa Fe police entering the couple’s dishevelled home, where they discovered the mummified bodies — and captured the heartbreaking sight of the couple’s dog watching over Betsy’s lifeless body amid the clutter.

Newly-released photos show inside Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's Santa Fe home. Picture: Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office

Betsy’s death was due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a condition usually caused by inhaling hantaviruses that have become airborne from rodent urine, droppings or saliva, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Hackman’s death was attributed to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor.

Officials said Betsy likely died before Hackman, around February 12, while Hackman died around February 18.

The couple had three dogs at the time of their deaths. One, a 12-year-old named Zinna, was found dead in a crate alongside them, likely from starvation and dehydration, police said.

The two surviving dogs — Bear, a German shepherd, and Nikita, an Akita-shepherd mix — have since been re-homed.

The photos offer a disturbing look into how the couple lived. Picture: Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office

Clothes and clutter found strewn in one of the rooms at the Hackmans’ home Picture: Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office

A report by the New Mexico medical investigator’s office revealed extensive evidence of rodent faeces at the couple’s home, according to The New York Post.

Health officials who carried out a hantavirus risk assessment test at the property in March after the couple’s death found a dead rodent and an entire rat nest in the three detached garages, the report also revealed.

Photos from inside the Hackmans’ home show clutter an items strewn in different rooms.

Some photos show clothes tossed around on the first-floor and dry cleaning still in bags hanging inside a closet.

Other photos show a Covid-19 test box and bottles of prescription medication.

The report also revealed that Betsy had researched Covid symptoms and considered getting medical care for her husband in her final days based on her internet browsing history, call logs, voicemails, and security footage from stores Arakawa visited.

She gave Hackman a Covid test – which came back negative – and purchased multiple portable supplemental oxygen canisters, the report added.

A mix of medications found in a draw. Picture: Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office

Newly released photos show inside Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's Santa Fe home show clothes in laundry bags hanging in the closet. Picture: Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office

It comes as the couple were laid to rest nearly two months after they were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home.

A private memorial was held for the Oscar-winner, 95, and Betsy, 65, in Santa Fe, People reported on Tuesday (US time).

The service was attended by Hackman’s three children, son Christopher Allen and daughters Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne, whom he shared with ex-wife Faye Maltese.

Originally published as Gene Hackman’s dog guarded body of wife Betsy, police bodycam video shows